Alexion Pharmaceuticals Purchases Former Dow Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Site
Alexion to Manufacture SolirisTM in Rhode Island
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has purchased the former Dow manufacturing facility in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility will be used primarily to produce Soliris(TM) (eculizumab), the company's lead product candidate for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), an acquired genetic blood disorder. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"Securing a manufacturing facility is an important element of our commercial planning for the post-launch growth of Soliris(TM) and will enable us to meet world-wide demand for the product," said David Keiser, President and Chief Operating Officer of Alexion. "For the past ten years, Rhode Island has built an expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, which is one of the reasons this site was particularly appealing to us. The facility is highly suitable to our needs and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation has worked closely with us. We are pleased to be part of the expanding life science community now in Rhode Island as well as in Connecticut."
The approximately 55,000 square foot facility is anticipated to begin operations in 2008. Alexion will be retrofitting the facility to include two 10,000 liter bioreactors and their associated purification suites along with a pilot plant. The facility will be designed to meet both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) and European Medical Agency (EMEA) good manufacturing practices. Alexion currently has a manufacturing agreement with Lonza Biologics and expects to continue to source supply from Lonza after the new facility is in operation.
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